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Low-Calorie Lunches

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Healthy Midday Meals

For many of us, lunch is a stress-filled hour (or less) spent dealing with traffic, fast-food drive-thru lines, or all-you-can-eat lunch buffets that may leave your buttons bursting. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Try making your own lunch—sans the PB&Js and frozen entrées—and bring healthy back to your midday routine.

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Shrimp Caesar Salad

Precooked shrimp speed up preparation. If you purchase raw shrimp, cook them in boiling water for 2 minutes or until done. Sriracha adds spicy heat to the dressing; omit it if you’d prefer a milder dish. Serve with a 1-ounce baguette slice (75 calories) to complete the meal.

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BLT Bread Salad

Think of this hearty tossed salad as a deconstructed BLT sandwich, where the bread appears in the form of croutons. Round out the plate with a couple slices of fresh cantaloupe, which provide 47 calories.

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Chicken, Carrot, and Cucumber Salad

This is no run-of-the-mill chicken salad. Cucumber gives this salad a cool crunch, while sliced radishes and cilantro add a distinctly different flavor. Try it for a light dinner, and save the leftovers for tomorrow's lunch.

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Moroccan-Spiced Bulgur and Chickpea Salad

Fresh mint gives this dish a pleasant aroma. Dried cranberries offer a hint of sweetness. Use any other dried fruit you like in their place: Try golden raisins, currants, dried cherries, or chopped dried apricots. Pair the salad with a kiwifruit (56 calories) for an easily portable side.

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Tabbouleh with Chicken and Red Pepper

Nutty, nutritious bulgur, perhaps best known as the star of Lebanese tabbouleh, can be used like brown rice in salads and pilafs, or simply cooked or steamed and drizzled with oil and sprinkled with chopped herbs. Mediterranean and Middle Eastern markets carry bulgur, or look for it in the grains section of large grocery stores. Pack with hummus and pita chips for the complete effect.

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Tortellini Pepperoncini Salad

With spicy peppers, sweet cherry tomatoes, earthy beans, and lots of fresh herbs, this well-balanced recipe is a meal in itself. Pair it with a fresh medium orange (62 calories) for a sweet finish to this salad.

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Tuna Pan Bagnat

A favorite in southern France, pan bagnat (pan ban-YAH) means “bathed bread.” The bread in this sandwich is meant to absorb some liquid from the filling, so it’s fine to completely assemble it ahead of time. Serve with 1 ounce (about 13 chips) of baked barbecue chips (150 calories) to complete the meal.

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Pan-Seared Shrimp Po' Boys

This New Orleans classic, featuring a homemade five-ingredient tartar sauce made with pantry staples, takes only 20 minutes to prepare. Using salt-free Cajun seasoning reduces the sodium in this dish without sacrificing any of the flavor.

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Mr. Stripey Tomato, Arugula, and Pancetta Sandwiches

Update your lunch routine with this new spin on the classic BLT. Mr. Stripey tomatoes are a variety of heirlooms with pale, yellow skins with a pinkish-orange blush, occasionally with green stripes. Substitute a beefsteak or other large, firm tomato. Pancetta is Italian cured bacon that gets cooked in the oven (no splattering on the cook-top). Substitute regular cured bacon, if desired. Prepare the mayonnaise mixture and cook the pancetta up to one day ahead.

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Prosciutto, Lettuce, and Tomato Sandwiches

The grocery deli will slice prosciutto in very thin pieces, making three ounces more than enough for four sandwiches. For a zesty and pretty garnish, attach 1 small sweet gherkin pickle (11 calories each) to the top of each sandwich with a toothpick.

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Chicken Saté Wraps

Bring the exotic to lunch with these easy make-ahead wraps. Chicken and vegetables are cooked in coconut milk, peanut butter, and curry for the traditional flavors of saté with peanut dipping sauce. Packaged slaw mix adds nutrition and crunch. Pair a wrap with exotic chips like sweet potato, taro, or purple potato.

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Caprese Wraps with Chicken

Caprese Wraps with Chicken have all the components of a Caprese salad with the added protein of shredded chicken breast. All wrapped up in a multigrain flatbread, this hearty wrap is just as good on the go as it is when served in your dining room.

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Grilled Turkey and Ham Sandwiches

Simplicity is the key to these easy sandwiches: Bread, mayo and mustard, deli meats, cheese, and tomato are all you need for a quick meal anytime. But toasting them in a skillet turns them into a gooey, melty, comforting classic. And of course, they need to be paired with tomato soup for full effect.

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Turkey Panini with Watercress and Citrus Aioli

Gooey provolone, white bread with a crunch, and refreshing citrus aioli—all in a turkey and watercress panini—make a mouth-watering combination. This hearty sandwich will not leave you with hunger pains, but it might just leave you wishing for one more bite.

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Grown-Up Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

A new take on a familiar favorite pairs grilled cheese with a BLT for a luscious veggie-packed sandwich that is a far cry from any kids’ menu selection. Pair with apple slices or grapes for a satisfying meal the grown-ups and kids will enjoy.

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Grilled Vegetable Pitas with Goat Cheese and Pesto Mayo

For these filling pitas, you can use whatever vegetables you have on hand—eggplant, summer squash, bok choy, or sweet onion. Here we use portobellos, red bell peppers, and Vidalia onions. Pair this with baked potato chips. A 1-ounce serving will add 150 calories to the meal.

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Gazpacho with Shrimp and Avocado Relish

Enjoy a cool summer soup with freshly cooked shrimp and a creamy avocado relish for a quick meal. The shrimp add protein, making this the perfect one-dish lunch. Pair with a warm slice of grilled garlic bread, perfect for dipping, for 114 calories.

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Beef and Barley Soup

Make this soup the night before to allow time for its flavors to develop. Pour hot servings into a thermos to take for lunch, or reheat individual portions in the microwave as needed. Serve with a 1.5-ounce slice of crusty bread (123 calories) to soak up the soup.

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Broccoli and Chicken Noodle Soup

Count on having this lunch on the table in about 40 minutes, and serve this soup the moment it’s done for the best results. In fact, if you wait, you’ll find it gets thicker with time. If you’d like to make it ahead to take for a weekday lunch, you will want to thin the soup with a little chicken broth or milk to the desired consistency.